April 13.

Being anxious to examine the range over the cove, I desired Mr. Helpman to explore the North-East corner of this large bay, and the main lying behind the islands, fronting the coast to the northward of it.  We accordingly moved off on our several occupations at an early hour.  After much difficulty Mr. Fitzmaurice and myself found ourselves on a tableland of sandstone formation, elevated by measurement 900 feet above the sea level, and by far the highest land yet noticed on this part of the continent; the prospect here was very cheerless; similar but lower ranges met the eye in every direction towards the interior, those overlooking the eastern shore of the bay, were from 6 to 700 feet high.  There appeared to be a large island in its North-East corner, which fell back about 10 miles, and like many other parts of it was lined with a growth of mangroves.  A string of smaller islands extended three miles from the north point, leaving an entrance only two miles wide.  A sandstone ridge similar to that on which we stood, rose abruptly from the north point, but of less elevation.  I was not a little surprised to find that Lieutenant Grey had seen land from 2 to 3000 feet high, only about 30 miles from the height on which we stood, but as he had not the means of measuring these great elevations, and as Captain King, who was within 20 miles of the high land alluded to, does not notice it, yet mentions some hills from 3 to 400 feet high, 15 miles further to the North-East, I am induced to believe that Lieutenant Grey may have over-estimated the height of the land he saw.*

(Footnote.  Mounts Trafalgar and Waterloo, which are not nine hundred feet high, are the first points of the continent that meet the eye from seaward.)

DOUBTFUL BAY.

From subsequent information, I called this Doubtful Bay; the tide ran into it at the rate of from 1 to 3 knots, but the clear appearance of the water, and entire absence of driftwood, afforded strong grounds for supposing that it did not receive the waters of any river.  Leaving Raft Point, we crossed over to the islands on the opposite side, for a few angles on their southern extreme, and afterwards made the best of our way to Freshwater Cove.  The day had, however, closed in long before arriving there, and in the extreme darkness of the night the Cove was difficult to find.  Indeed my companions could not believe we were there until one of the men returned with a keg of water from the stream in the head of it.

MR. HELPMAN’S REPORT.

Mr. Helpman joined us at sunset, and gave the following report of his proceedings:  “On leaving the cove at Raft Point, we passed along the south shore for two miles, and landed on a point that afforded a most commanding view of the bay, and the openings in its North-East corner, which appeared to be formed by a large island lying near the shore.  This supposition afterwards proved to be correct, on landing